Recipe

Brandy Fruit

Community Pick!

Recipe
No Questions Yet

Photo 1 of 2
by Sarah Shatz

Photo 2 of 2
by Sarah Shatz

Chef
amanda's Notes: Most years, in early December, my mother starts making a jar of gin fruit for the holidays. Her recipe is mindlessly simple -- layer your favorite dried fruits with some spices, cover with...
Most years, in early December, my mother starts making a jar of gin fruit for the holidays. Her recipe is mindlessly simple -- layer your favorite dried fruits with some spices, cover with booze -- so I thought I'd play around with a brandy variation to see which I prefer. My mother pointed out that you may need to replenish the gin or brandy after a day or two, as the fruit soaks up the alcohol. And the fruit is best consumed within a few weeks, before the fruit's sugars begin turning the booze to syrup. I'd suggest passing it alongside a cheese course, spooning it over ice cream or cake (with some of the macerating liquid!), or adding it toward the end of cooking roast pork.

Expand Collapse

Makes about 1 quart

1 cup dried figs Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cup plump prunes Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cup dried apricots Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup dried cherries Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup raisins Ask a question about this ingredient

2 teaspoons raw sugar Ask a question about this ingredient

4 star anise pods Ask a question about this ingredient

8 thin slices ginger Ask a question about this ingredient

8 long strips clementine peel Ask a question about this ingredient

About 375 ml brandy Ask a question about this ingredient

In a large bowl, combine the dried fruit.
Ask a question about this step
To a lidded 1-quart glass jar, add 1/4 of the fruit. Add 1/4 of the sugar, star anise, ginger and clementine peel. Repeat 3 more times. Pour over enough brandy to just cover the fruit. Seal the jar with a lid. Let sit for a week before eating.
Ask a question about this step

2 Comments on Brandy Fruit

Amanda is a co-founder of Food52.

added about 1 year ago

The prunes are my favorite, but I never thought to make it with just them. Really glad you're enjoying it and that you've played around with the recipe. Thanks for your note!

kary added about 1 year ago

I'm glad you featured this recipe again.

I made a simplified version of it a couple months ago and it has been sooooooo good. But I had forgotten where I got the recipe.

I just used some really fresh soft prunes from the coop, a cinnamon stick and some brandy. I must have put a teeny amount of sugar because I think I was following this roughly. (That's the part I couldn't remember -- whether I had used any sugar.)

WOW! The brandy had turned dark and rich. It was very complex. Rich, rich, rich.

It was going to be for gifts but now I am keeping it for myself.

I put it in a dark place for about 6 weeks and then broke into it. A prune or two and a little bit of the syrup is a nice little before bed treat.

I'm glad to see your note about using it up before too long. I wouldn't have remembered that. I'll definitely be making this again and again.